The City of Newton is nearing the end of its financial commitment to the Des Moines International Airport Terminal project. The city’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal includes $15,760 for a partnership payment to the Des Moines International Airport. Newton City Administrator Matt Muckler says this is the fourth of five yearly payments the city will make to financially support the new terminal. The final payment is to be in the Fiscal Year 2028 annual budget. Newton Mayor Randy Ervin and First Ward Council member Mark Hallam just toured the terminal, and Hallam was really impressed.

“Absolutely beautiful and fascinating. The whole thing is designed to be visible from Fleur Drive. It is going to be magnificent once the existing structures to the east are taken down. It’s truly going to be a facility that will more properly reflect a metropolitan area of almost two million people. And I am glad to say that Newton, in some small way, was able to help with that project.”

The Newton City Council in 2022, voted to give a total of $78,000 to the project over five years. The Jasper County Board of Supervisors did not allocate any county funds to the project. The Des Moines International Airport was seeking $34 million in terminal funding at that time, from Central Iowa Counties and nearly 30 cities. The City of Des Moines pledged $10 million dollars, which was roughly $50 per person.